1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water discharging structure of a wire harness. More specifically, the present invention relates to a structure that drains water, which has entered from a gap between an electric wire group of the wire harness and an exterior member to a portion between the electric wires, to the outside.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, a wire harness arranged in a vehicle is half-wrapped by a vinyl chloride tape or the like or is attached with an annular tube or a corrugated tube including a vinyl tube made of resin or hard vinyl tube and provided with an outer covering, thereby promoting the protection of electric wires from external interference such as maintenance, restriction, or contact or friction of the electric wire.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 17, in an area exposed to water such as an engine room, water droplets 3 seep in between the lines of an electric wire 1 from a winding end place X1 of a tape 2 in a portion W−1 that is wired in an up and down direction of a wire harness W, a junction point X2 of the wire harness, an upward opening portion X3 of a connector or the like. In this case, the water droplets 3 seeping in between the lines cannot be discharged to the outside by the half-wrapped tape 2 and gather, and there are cases where the water droplets 3 reach up to the connector 4 due to a capillary phenomenon. In this manner, when seepage is generated in the connector 4, shorting may occur, and when a splice portion exists in the seepage area, rust is generated in the splice portion and there is a concern that there may be deterioration in quality.
Regarding the above-mentioned problem, JP-A-60-96122 proposes a water discharging structure shown in FIG. 18. This is a structure in which a portion near a car body panel 5 on an engine room side of the wire harness W/H is bent in a U shape and fixed by winding a protector 6 and a tape 7 therearound, a bend portion 8 is disposed while being protruded downward, and on the other hand, a drain portion 9 in which the electric wire w is exposed without being wound by the tape is provided at the front end of the bend portion 8, whereby the drain portion 9 discharges the water which entered from the gap between the electric wire w in the wire harness W/H and the tape 7.
However, since the drain portion 9 is an electric wire exposure portion where the tape 7 which is an exterior material is not wound therearound, the electric wire cannot be protected from external forces such as a collision with small stones which are spattered, contact with an edge of the car body panel, or interference or interposition due to other components during vehicle driving, whereby there is a concern that the electric wire of the exposure portion may be damaged.